Dan Phantom
by Get Keen
Summary: Everyone knows that Danny Fenton is Danny Phantom, thanks to the halfa's evil future self exposing him as a last resort to seal his future. But Danny can't cope with the fame and enlists the help of Dark Dan to go into the past, who agrees to help him on one condition...Danny has to become Dan Phantom. Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom. Reviews would be greatly appreciated :)
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

 _If I were to think about it, I guess my future was sealed right after I met my future self. I know, I know; it sounds totally crazy, but to tell you the truth I couldn't care less whether you believe me or not. I could easily, ahem, let's say influence your decision by temporarily taking over your body and making you do things you wouldn't dream of in your wildest nightmares - but lucky for you, I'm not really in the mood for that kinda thing today._

 _Ha ha, I can see the alarm in your eyes. But don't worry, I'm not crazy._

 _Oh, you believe me now?_

 _How delightful._

 _Well then, now that we've got your trust issues out of the way, I can finally get on with my reverie. Don't you wanna know who I am?_

 _You do? Oh, I feel so loved!_

 _Well, I was Danny Fenton, ordinary teenage boy with the ghost-fighting, ghost-powered alter ego, Danny Phantom._

 _But, you knew that already. Didn't you._

 _I dedicated most of my teenage years to protecting my pathetic little town of Amity Park from every single miserable ghost that came out of the very same portal that gave me my powers. Everything was just hunky-dory; I had my two best friends, Tucker and Sam, my clueless but lovable family and I mean, come on! I was half ghost! I had an 'awesome' life, as I might have said once._

 _But all good things must come to an end, unfortunately. I can see you know what I'm talking about. I mean, surely you've experienced that moment when just when things are looking their best, suddenly your whole world is turned upside down?_

 _Yes, you have. You thought I didn't notice the sweat starting to glisten on your brow, or the slight inconsistency in your heart rate when you shook your head. Hello! Half-ghost, remember? My powers have developed over time, you surely must expect._

 _Anyways, back to my story._

 _What's that? You wanna know what turned my world upside down? Well, if you would stop interrupting and let me get on with it you'd soon find out!_

 _Oh, heh heh, sorry. I know I can get a bit fierce when I get irritated. What was it that scared you? The glowing red eyes? Or maybe, the fangs? I know, they're impressive._

 _Anyways. With your permission, do you think I could get on with my story?_

 _Thanks. Where was I?_

 _Oh yes! You wanted to know what it was that turned my world upside down. Well, it was more of a who actually._

 _Who? Oh you do sound like an owl, stop saying that please._

 _Well, if you must know, it was -_

 _Myself._

 _My older, darker self from a possible future came back in time to ensure that his possible reality became the inevitable one. But in order for that to happen, I had to become lost and alone, unwanted and bent on revenge -_

 _Oh dear, you look a bit dazed. I don't think you understand._

 _He was going to kill my family and friends in an explosion at the Nasty Burger - because that's how I turned into what he would eventually become... apparently._

 _Needless to say, everyone ended up alright, I saved the day and everyone went home for celebratory pizza, blah blah blah…_

 _I hate that part of the story. It's just so, predictable. I mean, obviously the hero defeats the bad guy – over and over again – gets the girl, saves the day, and everyone loves him, right? That's just how it works._

 _So what changed my future, you ask? Why did I become the very thing I promised everyone I would not?_

 _Well, my friend, I'm afraid you're gonna be here for a while, because that's where the real story begins…_

 **Chapter 1**

"Hooray for Danny Fenton!... er, um…Phantom?" the cheer that started with a blast fades into muddled confusion. As they whisper amongst themselves, I chuckle and look at my best friends, standing on either side of me. This is really weird.

The crowd finally reaches a decision, "Hooray for Danny!" They roar enthusiastically. This time I laugh out loud and everyone laughs with me. Yep, this is _definitely_ gonna take some getting used to.

Only Sam, Tucker and my sister Jazz had known about my ghost-self, Danny Phantom. But after the darker, future me terrorised the town and tried to murder my, and not to mention _, his own_ friends and family, he tried to turn everyone against me by making my alter-ego known to everyone. He knew he was defeated, and if you ask me that last attempt at trying to make me turn into him was really lame for someone who was supposed to be a super villain. I mean, he shoulda known it wasn't gonna work, because all the people, even in his own past, loved Danny Phantom. I mean, I protect them from ghosts!

I guess I proved this fact by beating Dark Danny and capturing him in the Fenton Thermos. Well that sentence didn't sound ridiculous at all. Anyway, I gave the thermos to Clockwork, the ghost of time, knowing it would be safe there with him, and that Danny would never be able to hurt _anyone_ again. Especially the people I loved. And I'm now thinking that I'm gonna _love_ the fact that everyone knows who Danny Phantom really is, as Sam slips her hand into mine. I look at her, surprised, and she looks back at me with an uncharacteristically sweet smile. I'd always thought that she was pretty, but I guess I didn't realise just how beautiful she was until this moment. I notice that the crowd has gone quiet and I look back at them when someone coughs uncomfortably. They're staring at Sam and me awkwardly, Paulina with a particularly penetrating glare, and I turn to face them, but still keep Sam's hand in mine.

"Uh, Thanks?" I say, not expecting that I'd have to give an acceptance speech.

The crowd roars again, and I'm a little bewildered. I look at Sam again.

"You're a hero, Danny! An idiot, but a hero too." She grins mischievously.

We celebrate the defeat of probably the _most_ dangerous ghost that I've ever come across late into the night, but I can't help but feel – I dunno – strange, I guess? I mean, cut me some slack here, it _would be_ a bit disconcerting to meet your future self in any circumstance. But to find out that you could turn out to be an evil, vengeful ghost-dude…yeah, now I know why I feel a little bit sick.

I try to slip out of the party unnoticed, but when I duck into my bedroom, I find a whole crowd of kids from my school there.

"Yo! Dan the man!"

"Danny, good to see you bro!"

"Eeeeek! It's Danny Phantom!"

"Please sign my chest!"

What?! This is getting a little too weird for me, and all I wanted was some time to think by myself! I go ghost, and phase through my bedroom wall to get outside. As I fly into the night sky, I hear cheers and whoops of excitement coming from my bedroom at the unintentional display of my powers. As I speed through the brisk night air, I see a whole street full of people _on the way to my house!_ I pass above them, and they quickly turn around and proceed to chase me through the streets of the town. Everywhere I go, there are people screaming at me and shouting for me to sign parts of their bodies. For once in my life, I feel trapped and helpless. I rush around aimlessly, the futility of trying to get away from these people dawning on me. Just as I think about turning human again, and walking back home on foot, I realise that I can't even do that.

Everyone now knows who Danny Phantom is.

 _Ya see now? How my future self kinda got what he wanted when he told everyone my 'secret identity'? I had thought he was an idiot to think that the people of Amity Park would ever turn against me, but at that moment I realised that that was never his intention. He wanted everyone to love me too much. He wanted me to crave something other than the adoration of everyone, not to mention the total lack of privacy._

 _Well, I didn't know it then but I was playing right into his manipulative hands._

 _This whole everyone knowing who I was thing went on for months on end, interfering with my personal life, my ghost life, my crime-fighting life, every type of life I had._

 _Eventually I couldn't take it anymore. I mean, I hadn't gone off the deep end…yet. But I could feel something building up inside of me that I desperately wanted to go away, and I knew that there was only one way I could make that happen._

 _I had to go back in time to make sure that no one ever found out about my secret identity._

 _When I went to see Clockwork, he gave me the usual spiel about how if you affect your past, you affect your present; how I was doing the wrong thing; how he wasn't gonna help me anymore if I decided to go through with this …you get the point._

 _But the guy obviously knew what he was talking about because I never saw what actually happened coming. He was right to warn me, I eventually found out. But I don't resent him for not physically stopping me. Far from it, in fact. If it weren't for Clockwork, I'd never be who I am today. I'm just grateful that he didn't progress his warning any further than words. I was much weaker than I am now, and would have never been able to take on that old (young?) ghost. No, I think that somewhere deep down, he wanted this to happen. So much for being time's servant. Because, he now has the most powerful ally in the ghost world._

 _Me._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

I stand before the green ghost portal. It radiates with ectoplasmic energy, almost sucking me in as I dig my heels into the floor of Clockwork's time control room thingy. I never know what to call it. In my right hand, I hold the thermos that contains the dark me from the future. I still can't believe I'm doing this, but it's been almost a year since that party and I _cannot take another minute of all of the attention_. Jeez, maybe I am a little nuts. But it's not my fault. This has to end.

Clockwork, constantly shifting from form to form and age to age, looks down his nose at me as if he disapproves. I puff out my chest and look defiantly back. He sighs and mutters something under his breath.

But I don't care what he's saying, not right now anyways.

"If you must, ghost-child", he says and waves towards the thermos.

"Ignore my warnings, and we shall see what becomes of your future."

I glare up at him, feeling energy pulse out of my green eyes. I'm in ghost form, which I weirdly feel more comfortable in nowadays. It makes for a better get away from the mobs that follow my every move.

I look down at the only thing that would ever contain dark Danny. Was I truly going to do this?

I take a deep breath and close my eyes. If I didn't do it now, I never would.

I yank off the thermos lid, and throw it across the room, at the same time dodging the bright green ectoplasmic blasts that spurt furiously out of the container. I throw that down too and dart across to where Clockwork is standing, still sighing heavily and muttering to himself. He throws up a shield around both of us and we watch from the safety of it as the future me rises up out of the chaos of ectoplasmic energy he created.

"Well, well, well", he chuckles in his deep, menacing voice.

"Who would have thought young, weak Danny Phantom would be the one to release me from my prison?"

I bite back a comeback as I look fiercely into his dangerous red eyes.

"It's amazing what one can hear through a metal, uh, ghost-shield, ectoplas.. – thing", he stammers, frustrated.

I feel like laughing and crying at the same time…because that's exactly something I would say.

"Shut up", I say instead, through gritted teeth. It's all I can say, ashamed of what I've resorted to in order to end the very thing I'd wanted since the beginning of high-school: adoration.

"Ah, young me. I know exactly what you want. And, how to get it", he sneers at me, baring his fangs.

I look up at Clockwork, and he lowers the shield. I move towards Danny.

"How?" I ask, floating up to become level with his face.

"Well, little dweeb, what if we were to make a deal…"

"Alright Dan – uh _you._ No killing _anyone._ I know what I have to do in order to pay you back."

"Yes Danny, you have my word."

And he did. I wasn't going to kill anyone if the twerp was going to go along so willingly with my conditions. And so, I would cooperate with his. If I were him, I would want to be taken seriously – and I _am_ , I think with a sneer.

We both step closer to the ghost portal. I turn around and give Clockwork a little "toodledoo" wave. He huffs at me and I laugh. If only he knew what good friends we were going to be in the near future.

Oh wait, he did. And that's probably why he entrusted the young Danny to my care. He was looking out for number one.

I hold out my hand to Danny in mock camaraderie. He just looks at it and lets out a small, almost silent snarl.

But I hear it alright, and he looks taken aback by the sound. He glances up at me, alarmed. I just smile at him. I know what's coming, and the little ghost has no idea what's about to hit him.

We arrive in Amity Park an hour before the Nasty Burger incident is supposed to go down. Sam, Tuck and the me from this time are currently in the future battling it out with the present, future evil me.

Yeesh, try saying that ten times.

I can feel Dan's gaze on me. I turn my head to look up at him as he stands beside me, resenting him for the promise I'd had to make to ensure the survival of our temporary, extremely fragile partnership. I won't even be able to break it. I know that if I do, he'll come after my family, and friends, and Sam.

And there definitely won't be a way to trick him into the thermos again.

No. The only way I will ever get rid of him is if I replace him.

If I – gulp – _become_ him.

Only then will he disappear from existence. And right now, that is the only thing I want in the world. He smirks at me, knowingly. He _knows_ that the only way out of this for me is his way.

I glare at him, feeling the snarl build up from deep within my chest. I may as well resign myself to my fate, seeing as my future is already altering my present, altering _me._

The sound rips from my throat and I channel all the anger for this man in front of me into power. My eyes radiate with red hot energy and I feel the heat leaving them in waves.

I glare at him, almost willing the heat from my eyes to obliterate him from the fabric of the universe. But then I catch myself. What am I _doing?_

"You're growing up, Danny", he says smugly. "You're growing up, into _me."_ He hissed rather than said this last word, bringing me back to reality.

He places a hand on my shoulder and I feel like throwing up at the gesture. Something stops me from removing his hand however and he guides me to one of the reflective glass windows covering the sides of a large office building.

"Look carefully at yourself, Danny", he says softly. "Notice anything different?"

I did. And the change horrified me.

My eyes have always been blue, or green in my ghost mode. But the heat of the anger that I was feeling, appeared to have _changed their colour._ I had been in my ghost state ever since we'd been in Clockwork's room, and where my eyes were once a soft, emerald green, they were now a blazing, furious red. The shade of which _exactly_ matched the eyes of the man next to me.I was, quite literally, _turning into him_.

"I don't feel any eviller than I did yesterday!" I cried to him somewhat desperately. It was a small comfort after the physical changes I had just seen in myself.

"Oh, that will come", he says through a fanged smile like a twisted version of the Cheshire Cat. I look back at my reflection, relieved to see that the red was slowly fading away to the comforting green. I was just about to whip around to show the man my now normal eyes when an out-of-the-blue wave of nausea rips through me and I fall to the ground. Shockingly, Danny stoops over me with something almost like concern on his face.

This odd moment makes me laugh and he stands up suddenly, surprised.

My laughter fades away as I stand up too, slowly, the nausea having passed. I look at Danny out of the corner of my narrowed eye and turn away from him.

He will pay for all the pain he caused me.

Woah, wait. What? Where did that line come from? So much for "not feeling any eviller". I desperately think about my parents, Sam, Tucker, any bit of good in my life to combat the darkness of the thought. Then, an idea pops into my head. One that definitely came from the real me, and not the dark man I was becoming. One that the real me would be proud of.

Before I turn into this monster permanently, surely I can have a little bit of fun with him? That isn't against our agreement.

He's moved in front of me, to try and see my face, so I turn away from him again and face the glass building.

I close my eyes, and try to concentrate my anger on Danny again. The acid heat bubbles up inside of me and I feel the power radiating from behind my eyelids. I open my eyes and wince when I see my reflection. My eyes are pure blood red. And hard. It's amazing how cold an expression I can have on my face when so much heat is pumping through me.

I shake my head to clear it of these thoughts, and focus on the task at hand. Sure, it's unimportant and a tad vengeful, but hey, we have time to kill.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The young Danny turns to face me, his red eyes pulsing with energy. I smirk at him and fold my arms across my chest. Better to wait for him to say something first. He doesn't disappoint.

"What's happening to me?" he asks pathetically.

"I've already told you. You made a promise," I sing-song.

"That's right," he says, "But I didn't expect it to take effect this quickly."

Poor, poor boy. He's too secure in his 'fight for justice' to come to terms with reality. He opens his mouth to speak again, and I'm expecting something along the lines of: "How long have I got?" or "I'll never turn into you!"

He pauses before he says, "How am I supposed to fool these idiots into trusting me?"

"But, you're already turning into me you little… wait, what?" I stop in my tracks.

Danny rolls his eyes in exasperation.

"I know you heard me, and I'm not going to repeat myself", he mimics my pose by folding his arms across his chest, mocking me.

This is the first time anything has managed to surprise me in a _long_ time.

"Well look at you," I say condescendingly to mask my astonishment. I stop there, not only because I can't think of anything else to say, but also because my mind feels like it is about to explode. With new memories.

Emotions rocket through me and new thoughts take root as if they have been there all along.

Suddenly, I realise what young Danny is trying to do. I storm up to him and grab him by the front of his childish jumpsuit, my eyes blazing furiously.

I laugh scornfully into his face, and take delight in the utter terror I see in it as the fake menacing smile falls away.

I draw in a deep breath, charging up my ghostly wail.

I am going to destroy Danny Phantom once and for all.

Before I can end the miserable wretch who dared think he could fool me, another wave of memories attacks me and as I decipher them, the result forces me to exhale weakly and gently lower Danny to the ground.

"You - ?" I can't finish the sentence.

Danny, who had been looking at the ground, now looks up at me and nods wordlessly.

So, now you see. If I hadn't made that promise to myself, I wouldn't be who I am today. I would be a splatter of ectoplasm on the pavement in another time stream.

But frankly, I like me better now.

And that's not the end, my friend!

Far from it. The most interesting part is still to come.

Just sit back and relax. Do you like the little 'habitat' I created for you? Although I never spent time in that container the other me was prisoner to, I imagine that what you're experiencing now is something similar to the confines of the Fenton Thermos… - thing. Yeah, I've never really been good at remembering the names of those ridiculous inventions mom and dad made.

So, let's get on with it, shall we?

WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME?!

After he put me down, Dan started pacing a little ways off from me. Impatient to put his plan into action, obviously. I sneaked farther and farther away from him, so I could actually sit and think about what was really happening.

I can feel Dan's darkness taking over. But the good in me won't go down without a fight. For now though, I'm going to have to pretend. Which will be hard because Dan seems to know when I'm for real.

I have to try.

I turn around to face him again, but he isn't there. I whip around and look all around me. Dan isn't anywhere to be seen.

Then, it hits me. The only way I could defeat Dan was to become him. I'd always known that. And now, he's gone. Vanished from the face of our world and, I'm assuming, the ghost world too.

That means…

It's too late.

I crumple to the ground, aware of my fate more so than I'd ever been. No one can know what I've done. They'll destroy me for sure. Heck, I'd destroy myself before it was too late. But I had to accomplish what I came here for in the first place. Otherwise, I'd have sacrificed my fate for nothing.

As if on cue, a portal opens up right in front of me. Dan and I had been standing in an alleyway behind the Nasty Burger before he vanished unexpectedly. But, I'm not alone for long. The other future Dan Phantom steps out of the portal, disguised as me in my human form.

He lets loose with an evil chuckle that I, inexplicably, want to compete with. I shake my head at my own unreasonableness and try to focus on the Danny imposter. He clears his throat and the portal closes just as Sam and Tucker round the corner.

I want to shout a warning to them and expose Dan for who he is, and…for who I am about to become. I gulp at this realisation, swallowing my words of warning too.

They both hug him, and then the trio walk off together.

Fury builds up inside my body. How could they not tell the difference between the evil me and the real me?

Well, I'll show them evil.

No, wait. That's exactly what I'm not going to do…

Oh, but I wanna…

I catch a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror and am shocked out of my dangerous mood.

I forget that my eyes now glow red, instead of green. That will take some getting used to. But I see something else that deeply disturbs me. I thought my teeth had been feeling too big for my mouth and when I open my mouth to examine them, I am greeted to the ghastly sight of two impressive sets of fangs. The mirror image of Dan's before he disappeared, into me I guess.

I have to catch the Dan disguised as me alone, before it's too late.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

I fly to the house, stopping outside my open window. Jazz is inside talking to the me imposter. I'm not really paying attention to what they're saying, I'm too worried about Jazz inside with that monster.

Hey, I'm worried about Jazz. Surely that's a good sign!?

Unfortunately, I don't have time to contemplate the meaning of my humanity because Dan turns around to face Jazz and returns to his true form. The menacing, muscular ghost-man Sam calls 'Jerk Danny'. The expression on my sister's face turns from concern to complete and utter terror.

"You-you're not Danny!" she yells defiantly.

Oh Jazz, if only you knew. I fly in through the window and stand in between my sister and Dan. Jazz has her hands over her face, but she registers my presence.

"Danny?" she says, incredulously. I don't dare turn around, she can't see me like this. Ever, if I can help it.

"Well, look at you," Dan says, eerily echoing the one that had recently become part of me, "I guess you've decided your fate then. Good choice." He gestures at my eyes.

"What is he talking about, Danny?" Ah jeez, I forgot Jazz was still here.

"Run, Jazz" I say quietly, without looking at her. Oh, no. My voice is dropping in pitch.

"Danny?" she puts her hand on my shoulder. I shrug it off. What is this stupid, weak human girl thinking of, questioning me?

I shake my head again, to clear these terrible thoughts from my mind. If Jazz doesn't leave now, she never will. I won't be able to trust myself around her, for now anyway.

"Jazz. Run," my voice has almost reached the low pitch of my older, darker self.

"What's wrong with your voice Danny? Are you okay?" my sister seems oblivious to the imminent danger ahead. If not from the Dan in front of us, then, I hate to say it, from me. I sigh, it has to be done. I look up at Dan, who smirks. He's just enjoying the show, there'll be no trouble from him for now.

I turn to face Jazz, but keep my head hung. My hair falls over my face, masking my change in features.

"Danny, what about the evil you behind you! Aren't you going to fight him?!" Great. Now she chooses to realise that she's in danger.

"Jazz. I am telling you for the last time," my voice has now totally metamorphosed. I look at Jazz from underneath my hair, she takes a step back, shocked. I sigh again. Here we go.

I look up at her and smile menacingly, giving her full view of my red eyes. I bare my fangs at her as I grin wider. She lets out a small gasp.

My new voice makes the next word sound even more sinister than I expected. But it has the intended effect.

"Run", I say.

Jazz stands, frozen in place for a few seconds. But eventually, she backs away from me slowly and then turns on her heel and runs out of the room.

"Wow Danny boy, I didn't know you had it in ya," Dan chuckles from behind me, sounding like our father.

"Shut up, you! I will ne – "

"Never become me? But look at yourself Danny. From my perspective, it looks like you're already well on your way. Me? **I'm inevitable.** "

I open my mouth in protest, and then close it again. He has a point.

I did just scare my own sister out of my bedroom.

Then I get a brainwave. If I can fool this Dan into thinking that I am becoming him, he'll be more likely to help me. Hopefully he won't be able to tell I'm lying, seeing as I'm not directly connected to him like I was to the other Dan. It's my only option, so I'll have to give it a try.

I channel the darkness within, fully aware that it might overtake me. But I have one chance to do this, and I can't risk Dan not believing me. If only I could maybe find a way to control it… but that'll have to wait until later. I focus on the anger that has been slowly growing inside of me and intensify it. The heat overtakes me even more so than it had before, this time radiating from my whole head, and not only my eyes.

"Whoa there dude", Dan says, "Want to tone it down a notch maybe?" He steps aside from the mirror to reveal my reflection yet again. What I see makes me put my face in my hands in exasperation. Again? Seriously? The changes never stop, apparently. I take my face out of my hands again to get a better look. My normal, well normal-ish, hair has erupted into a full head of white-hot flames. Literally. They flicker off of my head and dissolve into the air, but the fire never dies down. Weird. And a little bit creepy. But manageable.

Time to kick the game into action.

"Awesome", I say, seemingly totally absorbed with my new appearance. I notice something else in the mirror too and I wince, my skin has a faint blue tinge to it. Okay, that's _really_ creepy.

"Awesome?" Dan echoes, seeming surprised.

I turn around to face him, ready to put my plan into action.

"You heard me. And I gotta say I am loving these fangs!" That part was actually true, unfortunately.

"Wha- what do you mean?" he asks incredulously, and I can see the ghost-man really is baffled.

"You said it yourself dude, I am well on my way to becoming you," my new, bassy voice makes it sound like Dan himself is saying the words, which in a way I guess he is.

He looks taken aback, as if he didn't expect me to surrender to fate so easily. Then a small smile curls the corners of his lips.

Oh, no. He does know what I'm thinking. I brace myself for the inevitable fight to come, and then become aware of the power coursing through me. I am quickly becoming as powerful as Dan, I could easily take him on. I am about to charge up my own ghostly wail when Dan offers his hand to me.

"What?" I squeak, unable to hide my own surprise.

"Whaddaya say we take down this miserable town?" He actually sounds genuine. But I know that I should at least pretend to trust him, until I can achieve what I came here to do. I take his hand and shake it.

Then, making good use of my new voice, I say what I know Dan has been wanting to hear since this whole time travel fiasco started:

"Let's destroy Danny Phantom."

"That can't have been Danny," I say to myself, running away from the house and in the direction of the Nasty Burger.

My logical brain tries to deny the inevitable: "He had the same voice as the dark Danny, his eyes were red, and his skin had a faintly blue glow. That wasn't your brother." My voice is barely more than a breathless whisper as my strides get shorter and I try to run faster, but that's okay. I am only talking to myself at any rate.

But the more I try to reason that the ghost-boy in the room wasn't the Danny I knew and loved, the more my gut feeling demands to be noticed.

As soon as he, and I for that matter, thought I was in danger, he rushed into the room putting himself in between me and the warped version of Danny that presented the threat. And he had warned me to run. True, he had to scare me into running away, but that could have just been the quickest and most efficient way of getting me out of danger. It had to have been the real Danny.

But, his eyes... and his skin… and his – his _voice_. They weren't Danny's. They were _Dan's._

But how? Unless…

Dan Phantom isn't a regular villain. He _is_ Danny. A possible version of him anyway, but something that Danny could become. And did become, in an alternate reality. I stop in my tracks, totally forgetting about the Nasty Burger, and the inevitable explosion that gets everyone into this mess in the first place. Reality has dawned on me, and I feel like bursting into tears because I _know_ what Danny has done. I don't know _why_ he ever would do something like that, but that is not the issue.

The issue is that my brother is turning into the very thing he promised us all he would never become.

My brother is turning into Dark Dan Phantom.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

I made a deal with Dan. I would help him destroy the Nasty Burger if he did not expose my secret identity to Amity Park. Short and simple. But one tiny detail was missing. The fact that my friends and family would die. You have to believe me, I do not want that to happen. But I can't tell Dan that. I'll have to figure out a way of my own to rescue the people I love. Everyone trusts me. Well, maybe with the exception of Jazz now.

Dan has been speaking, but I haven't heard a word he's said.

"Get that?" he asks me.

I nod my head yes, a blatant lie. A hot wind blows through my body, and I look down at my hand. It seems that the blueness of it is intensifying. I think I've figured out how the change works. Every time I do something that reflects Dan's character, I grow to be more like him. The change will be complete when I look exactly like him on both the outside, _and_ inside. Well, I think so anyway.

For now, I'm in my right, non-evil mind but I'm gonna have to be performing a lot of treachery while I'm temporarily on Dan's 'team'. I just hope that by the time it all ends, I'll have at least a shred of my old self left - or that I'll even want to save everyone from the explosion.

I channel the darkness again, putting on a small, evil smirk. I'm hoping that my theory is right, and that I'll only be affected by it if I do something villain-y.

Dan turns toward me again, looking at me. He doesn't say another word, and I start to think that he's expecting an answer to something I missed.

My smirk doesn't falter and I hold his gaze.

"Come on", he says softly, as he flies off in the direction of the Nasty Burger.

The cruel expression on my face falters, and falls away. He sounded almost - sad. I rest my head against the wall I'd been leaning against. I can't allow sympathy to creep in now, not when I'm so close. As this thought slithers through my mind, I take off into the air, following Dan, and not noticing that my skin has now become the exact hue of the ghost-man ahead of me.

We had reached the Nasty Burger just in time for Dan to have captured everyone, with me watching pathetically from the side lines. As much as I hate it, they can't see me yet. I'm Dan's - no - my _own_ secret weapon. Dan makes his speech about his revenge, and ruining Danny's future – blah, blah, blah. I lose interest. I'm sitting on a dumpster in the alleyway I'm hiding in, waiting for my cue to make my big entrance. I look at each of the faces of the people tied down with ectoplasmic strands. I oddly feel – nothing. It's weird, I know I cared almost too much for every one of these people at one point, even back to ten minutes ago, but now – I feel nothing but detachment from them. And I must admit, that I kinda like it. No ties, no distractions, no obstructions. No humanity.

Hm. I thought that losing it would have been a bit more painful. I carry on scanning the faces of the victims. One person's missing though. Jazz should be here.

Jazz.

I start as if waking from a horrible nightmare, the full front of my thoughts knocking the breath out of me. I slump against the dumpster, unable to breathe. So it wasn't losing humanity that was painful, it was the regaining of it. Go figure.

I'm surprisingly unperturbed by the events of the last ten minutes. Although I do have my humanity back, I feel tougher, hardened somehow. Maybe I am doomed to become Dan Phantom no matter what I do. This thought doesn't bother me either, convincing me of its truth. But why did Jazz snap me out of the darkness I was unconsciously sinking into?

And, back to the original question, where is she?

"She better have the sense to stay away", I growl under my breath. I feel my shoulders shift and broaden, and become more muscular than my teenage mind could ever have hoped for.

"What?!" I snap, "That wasn't a diabolical thought in any way!"

As if scorning my rage against it, my body changes again. This time I feel my spine slowly lengthen. It carries on for a while, and I realise that I must now be the same height as Dan.

Guess I should watch my tone of voice. The ridiculousness of the idea makes me laugh and the deepness of my chuckle surprises me.

"Oh right. Dark Dan voice, great."

I probably look more like the dark me than the real me too.

Just then Dan gestures to me. I hesitate for a second, and then turn into my human form before walking timidly into view of the prisoners trapped against a wall of the Nasty Burger. I hear a collective gasp as they see me, and I wonder if my human appearance has changed in any way. Then they cheer, and I realise that it obviously hasn't.

Wait. What am I doing? The whole point of coming back in time was to stop Dan from exposing my identity. Now I'm walking across the parking lot of the Nasty Burger _in my human form,_ getting ready to go ghost in front of each and every one of them. I look up at Dan and see that he is also looking confusedly down at me.

I curse myself for my own stupidity and feel every negative feeling I have ever felt building up inside of me. I can't take this anymore! The anger, the hatred, the darkness. They're eating me up inside, reducing me to a shell of the hero I formerly was. I know I can never go back to being Danny Phantom again, but I will never let my emotions control me like Danny's did.

There's only one thing I can do to combat that. Remove them.

"Danny! Danny! What's going on?" Everyone is screaming at me. I fall to my knees, all of my senses overpowering me. They won't stop. I curl into the foetal position. I just want them to stop.

"QUUIIEEET! All of you, be quiet!" I didn't say that. But a sudden silence descends upon the scene. The only sound is the eerie ectoplasmic storm Dan has created.

The ghost-man lands on the ground beside me. He lays his hands tentatively on my trembling back.

"Get away from my son!" I hear my mother yell furiously.

Dan ignores her. He looks at me, with genuine concern in his eyes.

"Are you okay, Danny?" he asked gently.

"I just want them to stop", I sob back.

He gets a steely look in his eyes and gazes in the direction of the trapped people, "and so they shall."

He rises up again and I stagger to my feet, still dazed.

"Dan, no!" I shout weakly, but he hears me. "Don't kill them… I – I'll show them who I really am."

"Are you sure, Dan?"

"His name's not Dan, it's _Danny_ ," this comes from Sam, from right in the middle of the group.

"S-Sam?" I barely manage to get out. It's devastating how wrong you are, I think.

"Well, this is an interesting turn of events", Dan says, actually letting them go. As the group of people surrounds me and forgets totally about him, Dan flies off to the boiler and freezes the sauce inside, ensuring permanently that the explosion would never happen.

He then proceeds to perch on top of the large metal vat, watching the action that is about to unfold. He, he actually trusts me.

"L-look everyone," I can still feel the darkness bubbling inside of me, but it is nowhere near as dangerously close to brimming over as it had been before Dan had laid his hands on me.

"I – I have something to tell you. All of you," I add, looking pointedly at my mother and father.

"I – I'm Dan – Danny Phantom", I get everything out in a rush of almost unintelligible words. But they are definitely heard. My mother and father gasp, but then I think the maternal instinct kicks in and mom leans in and clutches her distressed son to her chest.

"You – You're okay with that?" I ask incredulously, although I knew how it would play out, having lived through this all before. My father would take a while to come around, but he would also be okay with this fact. Eventually.

My voice, I realise is back to normal. Well, I'm not so sure what normal is anymore, but it sounds like teenage me, and not Dan.

Well, all the more to shock you with my dear, when I go ghost. (That last part isn't usually found in the traditional fairy tale).

I look up at Dan, who was still sitting on top of the vat of now frozen sauce. He grins at me, but not evilly. It was more encouraging than anything else. I hear his voice in my head, _If they accept you as Danny Phantom, they should accept you as the new you, too._

New power? I think.

 _Yep._

Cool.

 _Yep._

I smile to myself, only invoking more concern from the onlookers.

"Danny, are you sure you're alright?" my mother asks again.

"Mom", I say drawing up to my full height, "there's something else. And you guys don't know this either," I add looking at Sam and Tucker.

"But no matter what, you all need to know that this is me. And nothing, well I hope so, has changed. But the Danny Phantom you know is gone."

"What?" Sam asks, a little scared. I can hear it in her voice.

"Don't be afraid of me Sam," I plead sadly.

There's nothing more I can say to prepare them for what they're about to see.

So, with a deep breath, I go ghost.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Danny closes his eyes, and from my perch on top of the frozen sauce vat, I see the deep breath he takes to steady himself. I wait in anticipation, and in something alike to fear for him, if I could be afraid. I scoff at the idea. The bright rings start to form and I hone in on the thoughts of the people making up the crowd that could quickly turn into a mob surrounding Danny. He was quite impressed at this power of mine and I felt quite proud. It was a ridiculous feeling, but it felt – good.

The sight that soon greets my eyes is far more interesting than deciphering the humans' thoughts as the new, and improved (if I do say so myself) Danny Phantom emerges. He had already changed drastically in the space of only an hour. Horrified gasps erupt from the crowd, and they all back away from him. Even Sam.

The sight cuts me like a knife, and I feel the hardness set around my eyes again. I rise, menacingly from the top of the metal container, but no one is paying attention to me.

His bright, red eyes dart around the group, before settling on me. His shoulders had broadened and muscled considerably since I last saw him in his ghost form, and his skin had reached the same shade of light blue as mine had been for years. The white hot flames dance around his head as he whips around the circle, looking for someone, anyone who was not staring at him in fear.

Not one person in the crowd offers him this. I begin to float closer toward the scene, and Danny sees. Wordlessly, he begins to rise and as I near him, I can see the tears glinting in his eyes.

Our parents don't even shoo me away from their precious boy. He glances down one more time, looking for a final chance for salvation, and finds none.

I turn away from him, steely determination setting my expression.

"There's only one other option", I say.

I turn back to him, grinning my best evil grin, "You have to play the part."

I stare back at Dan incredulously, floating almost twenty feet in the air. But then I realise the meaning of his words and nod again. This time, I would not fail. I was not wanted here; Sam and Tucker were afraid of me, Mom and Dad had practically disowned me, and Jazz hadn't even bothered to come and see if her brother was really a monster or not.

I feel the anger bubbling within me again, but this time I welcome its heat instead of fighting it. I let it fester and brim over, drawing power from it. The energy courses through every ectoplasmic vein in my body, permeating my every pore. I had closed my eyes, and I open them again now, looking straight into Dan's equally red gaze.

"Ah. There he is," he grins at me.

I maintain my blank expression and look down at my former friends and family below me. They will pay.

The thought takes over my mind like a virus, and I feel my body quivering.

 _They will pay._

With nothing but anger in my eyes for the betrayers below me, I breathe in deeply. They will never know what hit them.

I let loose with the most powerful ghostly wail I have ever emitted, the glowing green sound waves radiating from my fanged mouth reaching far into the distance. I hear another wail, echoing mine and I realise that Dan has joined me on my quest for total and utter destruction. We both stop and smirk at each other, then look into the distance, admiring the chaos we'd created.

The people below, still stand there, mouths agape and expressions aghast.

Pathetic. They don't even know when to run, I think to myself.

Just as I'm about to fire off another ghostly wail, this time aiming at the statue-like people below, they all dissolve into green goo.

Huh?

The shock of this totally unexpected sight brings me to my senses.

I look at the destruction I'd brought about again, this time in shame.

What have I become?

I look at Dan, who is still staring mouth open, as if in mid-wail, at the ectoplasmic goo that used to be everyone we knew and loved. Well, with the exception of our sister.

I hear a cackle from behind us and we both whip around in time to see Vlad Plasmius zoom off into the distance.

"That does it," Dan snarls dangerously from next to me.

Just before he can chase after Vlad, I put my hand on his muscled forearm.

"He deserves something much worse," I say, not exactly evilly but with meaning, "Why don't I take the battle into my time. My present. If he thinks he fooled us both into thinking everyone hates us, he will be expecting a powerful ally. And not an equally powerful enemy consisting of two, no, _three_ Dan Phantoms."

Dan is silent for a length of time, considering my proposal. Then he silently nods and places his hand on my shoulder, mirroring my own action. Slowly, and to my astonishment, he fades from view and I simultaneously feel a rush of heat flow from my shoulder at the point he was touching me. The warmth spreads throughout my body and is almost comforting. I now have the power of double the most powerful ghost in the world. Well, triple, if you include myself. And Vlad is definitely going to get what's coming to him, I think with a snarl.

But there's something I need to take care of first.

I tentatively turn the corner of the alley and peek at my sister. She's whimpering softly. I hate myself in this moment. It's my fault she's so terrified and I can only hope that she'll believe me when I say that I'm really still me. The darkness has subsided, and I'm feeling more and more like myself every second. I can't do anything about my ghost-form though. I have a feeling those changes will be permanent, but only because there'll always be that dark side of me. The side of me that I could channel when I needed. The side of me where not one, but _two_ versions of the most powerful, evil ghost in the world have merged into.

"Jazz?" I call out softly.

"Danny?" she looks up, her tear-stained face lighting up with hope as she sees my 'normal-looking' figure.

But my heart breaks when she suddenly scrambles further away from me, into the darkness of the alley.

"No. Y-you're the future Danny. The evil one. You've come to – to kill me," My sister's voice has taken on a child-like quality.

"Jazz, no. You have to believe me. I'm me. I'm your brother who loves you. Even though you can be a jerk sometimes," I add with a crooked grin.

"D-Danny?" My sister is clearly conflicted. I smile again, nervously and she makes a decision that fills my heart with joy.

"Danny!" she cries, and throws her arms around my neck.

"Jazz," I whisper into her long hair.

"I knew it was you in the bedroom!" She draws back from me, looking concerned, "But what happened to your voice, your skin, your _eyes_?"

I sigh. I'd known that this was gonna be inevitable.

"Jazz," I begin firmly, "I've done something. Something _bad_ , for my own selfish sake. And I've had to pay the consequences. But, although my ghost form may have changed, ahem, quite drastically on the outside, I _need you to know that I am still me on the inside._ "

"I know, Danny," Jazz glowers at me, "But it was still a really stupid decision." I smile to myself, my genius sister had probably figured it out a while ago. But nothing prepares her for the transformation that has taken place when I go ghost.

She gasps in surprise.

I lower my head, ashamed that she has to see me looking like this. But then I feel a kind of pressure over my head and I look at Jazz from under my eyelashes. She's _playing_ with my hair. Well, the flames that were my hair. I grunt and smack my hand against my forehead.

"Seriously?" I ask her.

"They don't burn me," she says looking totally enthralled with the fire dancing around my head, "Cool."

She lowers her hand, and now it's my turn to stare at her incredulously.

"So, you're okay with this then?" I ask my sister.

"Well, it's a bit weird, but there's nothing you can do about it. Is there little brother?"

I shake my head.

"Then I'm okay with it," she gives me a small, encouraging smile.

I smile back at her, and she gasps again. But this time, in excitement.

"Open your mouth wider, Danny," she says. I comply and almost choke when she stuffs her fingers into my mouth.

"What do you think you're doing?!" I try to shout angrily, but it comes out as more of a: "Mmmrpghfphhgmmrf."

"You have _fangs_?" she sounds even more like a little kid now.

I nod my head, but she ignores me, still enthralled with my new set of teeth.

"I always preferred vampires to ghosts," she says, smiling mischievously at me.

I remove her hands from my mouth and look at her, feeling a little invaded. But I get over it.

"Do you wanna see something else?"

She nods her head.

"You sure?" I say with a mock evil grin.

"Get on with it Danny!" she says, switching into bossy older sister mode.

"Don't be scared," I say in a sing-song voice.

"I wouldn't – Hmmm, you know you might actually be able to hold a note with your new voice now," she grins smugly back at me.

I scowl, she had me there. Her grin just widens.

"Ready?" I ask her again.

"Yes!" she practically shouts.

I smile at her and delve into my dark side, drawing out the very first clue that the deal I'd made was for real. I feel it building up in my chest and I open my glowing ruby eyes and stare at Jazz. She looks back at me in anticipation.

The growl forms at the back of my throat and I release it, slowly and menacingly. Jazz's eyes widen. The growl eventually ends and she just sits there staring at me. Oh no, I think, I've just sent everything back to square one haven't I?

She clears her throat.

"Well, that's not as effective as a witty pun, but it'll do the job," she winks.

I laugh, relieved and take a bow. But I have something that she needs to do for me.

"Jazz," I say. She hears the urgency in my voice and sits up straighter.

"What's up, Dan?"

"Dan? Seriously?" I interrupt myself and Jazz blushes and looks away, "Ugh. Never mind. Jazz, I need you to not tell _anyone_ about my new ghost-self. Not until I'm ready. The Danny from this time hasn't even had this happen to him yet, and he can't know either."

"I knew you were from the future!" Jazz eyes twinkle with glee at her correct assumption.

I smack my hand on my forehead again. Seriously, Danny? That was the first thing you should have told her.

"Yes, Jazz. I am. But the most important thing is that no one except you can know that this is what I turn out to be. Okay?"

"Got it, little brother."

I sigh as a blue portal zaps open next to me, glowing invitingly. Clockwork must have been watching the whole time.

"See ya Jazz, about a year from now," I say in my sultry voice, "Oh. And try to remember this meeting, 'cause I'll need someone to fill me in on what went down while I was – ahem – gone."

Jazz winks at me and gives me a sisterly smile.

I give her a little salute, before I leap headfirst into the portal and back into my present.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

I wake up in my own room. You know, I never thought someone could develop such strong feelings for their bed. I grab one of my pillows and draw it to my chest, just being able to stop myself from smooching it.

"Oh, baby, how I've missed you!" I coo.

I hear a knock on my door.

"Danny? Everything okay in there?" Jazz stifles a giggle.

"Oh – uh – Sure! Come on in!" I stuff my pillow back underneath my head and fold my arms across my chest, staring innocently up at the ceiling.

Jazz turns the doorknob gently, and slinks over to my bed. She looks more mature than the last time I saw her. Well, I did see her in our past, courtesy of a time-stopping ghost, so I guess that explains it.

"Glad you're awake, sleepyhead," she kisses my forehead.

"Get off of me!" I take the pillow from behind my head again and attempt to whack her with it. She dodges me easily.

"Okay, okay. Fine, I'm going. But you're gonna be late for school, Danny," she gives me a smug smirk.

I feel inspired and on the spur of the moment I yell after her:

"Call me Dan!"

She freezes in the doorway. I draw my blankets up, hiding my face, barely able to contain my glee. I love messing with Jazz. It's what little brothers are supposed to do. I feel her sit down on the foot of my bed again.

"What did you say?" she asks me suspiciously.

"I said –," I pause, firing up my red hot gaze. I can't go full ghost now, she hasn't seen the new me in almost a year, the shock would give her a heart attack. Better start off slowly, "Call me – Dan," on the last word I lift my head up sharply and look deep into her aquamarine eyes, with my – uh – not so gentle, red ones.

She almost falls backwards off my bed.

"Wha - ?" She's a bit dazed, understandably. Time to try out the voice too.

"You're a bit dazed, understandably," I say with my voice smooth as silk, and sinister as – I dunno, myself?

She had recovered a little, but this time she actually _does_ fall off of my bed. I laugh. My chuckle sounds a tad dark, but I can't help having an a _wesome_ voice.

Jazz looks groggy as she claws at my duvet, trying to pull herself up. I grab her wrist and help her back on to the mattress.

She stares at me, her gaze unfocused, and I give her my best, fanged grin. It looks as if a cloud has been lifted from her eyes and a glimmer of understanding appears in them.

"You – you're _back_!" she yells triumphantly.

"Tone it down a notch, will you?" I try to calm her down. But, I'm glad she remembered to – erm – remember.

"Are ya ready?" I ask her. She knows exactly what I'm talking about and nods excitedly.

"I'm GOING GHOST!" Man it felt good to say that again.

When the white rings appear and complete the transformation however, to my horror Jazz scrambles off of the bed again and cowers in a corner of my bedroom, looking up at me with complete and utter terror contorting her pretty features.

"Dan – Danny?" she whispers.

"What's wrong, Jazz?"

"It is you right?" she hides her face.

"Jazz, of course it's me. What's wrong?" I float off of the bed towards her, and lay a hand on her shoulder. She flinches away from me. What is happening?

"Sorry, Danny – I – just look in the mirror," she can't form her words properly. Jeez, I really spooked her.

I comply with her suggestion and walk over to the mirror over my dresser, still looking back at her as she looks at me. But when I see my reflection, I almost gasp myself.

My body had completely changed from the skinny, admittedly short teenager I had recognised myself to be. It had the proportions of a grown man. Or, a certain grown _ghost_ -man to be precise. The flames that were my hair licked the air continuously and my skin was exactly the same light blue as Dan's. I had dark rings under my burnished red eyes, making me look totally like a super-villain, and not like the Danny Phantom everyone knows and loves. I towered above everything in my small bedroom, including my 'big' sister Jazz. I bare my fangs at my reflection. They had also grown longer, and sharper. I was the exact replica of my two older selves. Well, at least I now know for sure where they both disappeared to.

"Whoa," is all I can say.

"Yeah, whoa is right Danny!" my sister pipes up angrily from behind me.

I exhale in relief, at least she's not scared of me anymore. I turn to face her, sheepishly holding my hands out in a gesture of truce. The anger leaves her face, and sadness takes its place. In a way, this is worse.

"Oh, Danny," she throws her arms around my neck. I almost laugh, seeing her having to stand on tiptoe to reach me. But I don't want to ruin the moment. Ah, acceptance. Only Jazz can make it feel so natural. I fold my muscular arms around her small, fragile frame, breathing in her familiar scent. My big sister has always been charged with my safety and now, I finally feel capable of returning the favour.

She pulls back from the hug, with tears shining in her eyes.

"Danny, I'm so sorry," she battles to keep the tears from running down her cheeks. I bend down so that she can see me properly, "For what Jazz?" I ask softly.

"That you had to do this. Become this – monster," she looks earnestly from my one eye to the other. I'm a little bit irritated at this. I mean, I'm _not_ a monster, - I never fused with Vlad Plasmius. And you can count on the fact that I never will. I mean Dan didn't even turn out to be a monster in the end.

My expression must have hardened while I was processing these thoughts, because Jazz steps back and clasps her hands together, obviously embarrassed. Good. She hurt my feelings. I scowl down at her, she needs to know that she can't say things like that anymore, because I really _am_ Dan Phantom now. And I am no monster.

"S-sorry…Danny," she suddenly becomes very interested in the floor. My expression softens and I allow a small smile to play across my lips.

"It's okay Jazz, it was a shock for me too. But there really is nothing I can do about it. And besides," I laugh, "I have to say I kinda like the new me."

She looks worried.

"No no no no no – don't look at me like that Jazz, I'm not gonna turn evil on you. Jeez. I just mean I think I _look_ pretty awesome!"

I face palm. Again. What kinda moron am I?

Suddenly Jazz snorts with laughter, "You should have seen your face, Danny! I really _do_ love the fangs, though. But then, you knew that already," she winks at me.

"Now come on, _little_ brother," I smirk at this, "there are some other people that need to be re-acquainted with you."

"What about mom and dad?" I ask in my human, teenage form again.

"Still clueless," Jazz replies, and then she adds anxiously, "but I'm thinking that we should tell them soon."

I'm about to protest, but then I realise that it will have to happen sooner or later. And I would rather show them the new, slightly sinister looking me myself, rather than have them go totally crazy trying to recapture Dan Phantom all over again.

We're on our way to school, I'm taking a moment to appreciate all of the non-chaos surrounding us. The last time I saw the town, it was totally destroyed courtesy of my ghost wail. And Dan's. I sigh, who would have thought it would have been possible to _miss_ the guy. He was the only person, aside from Jazz, who could rescue me from the darkness within me. I know, ironic right?

" _Danny?!"_ Jazz yells into my ear.

"Hey!" I yell back, rubbing at my burst eardrum.

"Have you heard a word I've been saying?" I hadn't.

"I'm not really in the mood for another lecture, Jazz," I sigh again.

"I wasn't lecturing you! I've been trying to catch you up on what happened in a year," she looks at me sadly.

"Oh," I say, "Right. Go ahead."

She takes a deep breath before motoring on ahead about absolutely _every_ single detail that I've missed. I smile to myself, you just gotta love my sister's meticulousness.

I'll give you the summarised version. No one, except for Jazz, Sam and Tuck, knows about my being Danny Phantom, and only Jazz knows about the _new_ (and improved) _Dan_ Phantom. The explosion never happened, thanks to Dan. And the only people who had witnessed me going ghost, weren't people at all, but I'd known that already. Disgusting clones.

So it looks like my secret is safe, for now. As for the Danny Phantom in my absence, well he's been fighting crime as always. But now, I think, it's time to kick it up a notch. I smirk to myself.

The ghosts will have no idea what hit them.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Little did I know, my dear friend, was that the ghosts would be coming at me with a vengeance. They all hated Dan Phantom even more than Danny. The ghosts I fought were evolving, becoming far more dangerous, and I would never allow them near my friends and family. Or near Amity Park if I could help it.

So, I started to do all my fighting in the ghost zone, honing my fighting skills and powers. Marking my territory. Making sure they _all_ knew who the boss was. Clockwork was a great help, too. He was also the only ghost who knew who I really was, although I wouldn't have been able to fool him if I were stupid enough to try. All of the other ghosts had no clue that I was now the _only_ Danny/Dan Phantom in existence. The real one.

But I soon realised that I could no longer let my weaker counterparts interfere. They would surely die at the hands of the more powerful ghosts that I'd been fighting. I could only trust Jazz to look after herself. I mean, I'd started training her and I'd like to think that I'm a pretty good teacher in the art of ghost-fighting. And I still hadn't shown my new self to anyone else, but don't ask me how I managed that. I have no idea to this day.

That was gonna have to change though. If I was gonna scare Sam and Tuck away from ghost-hunting, I'd have to scare them away from me.

Danny barges into my room, out of breath and his blue eyes feverish with excitement.

"Jazz!" he yells, "Come down to the basement! I have something awesome to show you!"

I sigh, but reluctantly follow him. This is the third time today that he's tried to get me down there. Well, I might as well give him a chance to get it out of his system.

He rushes excitedly down both flights of stairs, out of sight. I follow him somewhat less enthusiastically until I reach the bottom level of our house. I lean against the reinforced metal doorframe.

"What is it, Danny?" I ask my little brother with a world weary sigh.

Danny doesn't answer me. He's standing looking up at the metal wall that conceals the entrance to the Ghost Portal, as if hypnotised.

"Danny?" I ask again, a frown crinkling my brow. I take a few steps towards him.

He hears me, and his head whips around as if he'd forgotten that he was the one who'd asked me to come down here in the first place.

A dark expression flickers across his face, and I blink rapidly. I look at him closely again, but his young features appear unchanged. Maybe I imagined it?

"Jazz," he says my name tentatively, as if saying it for the first time.

"What's wrong, Danny?" This sudden change in his tone alarms me.

"Jazz, what – what are you doing?" he starts to look almost scared as I take a few steps closer to him, holding my hand out in concern.

He backs away to the opposite side of the room and bumps into something on one of the numerous shelves of ghost weapons contained in our large basement.

I feel the blood drain from my face as he picks it up and shows me what it is that he now holds in his hands.

A large pair of metallic gloves with enormous, sinister looking needles at the end of each finger greets my rapidly fading sight.

"What were you going to do to me, Jazz?" my little brother's voice quivers in fear.

"Danny, I – I would never –," but I don't get a chance to finish my sentence before my vision suddenly goes dark.

I open my eyes blearily, my sight unfocussed. There is still a shadowy darkness around the edges of my vision and I sit up carefully, worried that any movement too sudden would send me back into the black depths of unconsciousness.

I blink a few times, my eyelids remaining heavy. I sense a figure standing, or rather kneeling, in front of me.

"Jazz," my brother's now deep voice washes over me.

I blink a couple more times and shake my head slowly, trying to remember why I blacked out. My vision is slowly getting clearer, with the exception of a pounding headache that prevents my eyes from focussing properly. I hear Danny talking again, but I can't hear what he's saying. He may be talking to me, or even to himself, but nevertheless I try to concentrate on his words. I manage to catch a few fragments of his speech:

"Thanks to you…" so he was talking to me, "…gauntlets...hurt but I'm… human side," I feel my pulse quicken and a cold sweat break out on my brow.

I'm starting to remember.

"Take a look at your handiwork, big sis," My brother's voice sounds strange as I float in and out of comprehension. Flat, and emotionless. Totally unlike him.

"What do you mean?" I almost don't want to know.

"You did it." He stands directly in front of me and I stare at his muscular calves. I'm too weak to move my head to look up at him, but he grabs my chin with one of his big hands, forcing me to look into his angry, red eyes, "You always wanted some of the power for yourself didn't you," he gives a strangled, humourless laugh. It is a horrible sound.

"And you just couldn't resist yanking the humanity out of your little brother, trying to make him the most powerful ghost of all time, based only on what could have been one of many realities. How could you be so selfish? I thought you loved me!" He shoves my head backwards, and I almost fall flat on my back.

"Danny!" I cry, surely he couldn't believe that, "Why would I do that to you?"

"I don't know, Jazz," the sudden look of utter betrayal on his face is almost worse than his fake laughter.

"I didn't Danny! I swear! Look, just change back again!" I desperately nod my head, to affirm my statement as much in my own mind as in his.

"I _can't_ ," he snarls and looks pointedly down at my hands.

I instinctively look down and scream in horror at what I see. My hands are gloved in the very gauntlets Danny claimed that I'd removed his humanity with.

"Wha -?" My mouth feels too dry to finish the thought.

"You see now?" Danny smirks. He'd moved over to the still closed ghost portal, his white flaming hair casting wild shadows along the surface of the doors. But he comes back to me now and crouches down, staring into my eyes accusingly.

"You've just turned me into the very monster I promised I'd never become."

I feel my eyes fill with tears as the thought sinks in to my still fuzzy mind. Danny's hard eyes search mine as he tries to guess at what I'm thinking, but even if he could read my thoughts, I don't know what he'd see. My mind is blank as I don't believe, or don't want to believe the bombshell that Danny has just laid on to me.

I don't know how long I sit there, motionless, looking straight through my brother, gaping at the inhumanity and utter evilness that were obviously my recent actions. My gaze falls onto the gauntlets that still cover my fingers. An intense rage takes over my mind and realise that I have never hated myself for anything as much as I do now. But I don't care. I don't even _dare_ to care about myself. Not after what I did to my little brother. My sweet, idiotic, goofy little Danny.

I struggle heatedly to pull those wretched gloves from my hands, yelling in frustration at myself and crying waterfalls at the same time. I only succeed in scraping myself a good number of times before my brother sighs and intervenes. He gently tugs them off one by one, all the while eyeing me carefully, as if he thought I was going to break down at any second.

I certainly felt as if that was the case.

I hang my head in shame, tears still streaming down my cheeks as he puts one icy hand to my face, in an attempt to wipe them away. Danny tries to get me to look at him, but I cannot face my brother. Not after what I did to him.

"Jazz," he says softly and sighs, "I tried not to forgive you. I really did. But you will always be my sister no matter what happens, and I can't change that. Believe me, I've tried," I snort involuntarily at this typical Danny humour, before quickly sobering up again. This time I allow him to lift my chin and look into my watery eyes. I gaze into his intense, burning ones. They're tender and, I'm shocked to see, genuinely forgiving too.

"I couldn't forgive myself Danny," I barely whisper.

"You have to, Jazz," he replies comfortingly.

"But, how can I ever show you how sorry I am for doing this to you, little bro?" I tentatively add the childish term at the end.

He smiles sadly, "Just always believe that I'll never do anything to hurt you," I jerk away, horrified at the mere thought, but then nod seriously at the painful truth of it.

"And Jazz?" he asks, sounding like a small boy, "please don't forget that I'll always be your 'little bro', 'kay?"

"How could I Danny? I'm stuck with you," I try a nervous giggle, but his face grows stern.

"I'm serious, Jazz. You need to remember, no matter what happens, I am still your brother who loves you and who will protect you 'til the ends of the earth."

I gulp at the reality of this statement.

"Okay, Danny." I reply. Unable to wait any longer, I throw my arms around his neck. I feel an odd, cold sensation down my right shoulder. I almost burst into tears again when I realise that Danny is crying. I feel his ghostly pain travel down my shoulder blade and tears trickle down my own face once more.

My now full-ghost brother pulls away and looks at me intensely, but after a while all he says is: "You know Jazz, you are the world's ugliest crier."

I punch him in the chest, right on the DP emblem of his new outfit and we both giggle like children, our cheeks still shining with newly released tears. I hug him again and I hear him breathe in deeply, committing me to memory. He stands up sharply, picking me up with him and cradling me protectively in his strong, safe arms. I nuzzle into the space between his collar bone and neck. My thoughts take me back to when I cradled the new born Danny in my own small, chubby arms. He'd looked up at me with his intelligent, mischievous blue eyes and then pushed his cheek into that exact space, fitting perfectly.

As if the last and most beautiful piece of a puzzle had finally slotted into place.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"But surely there must be a way that you can at least give off the illusion of your human self?" Jazz asks desperately from her cross-legged position on my bed, "Dan could! I saw it myself, before you interrupted. Thanks again for that by the way."

"Anytime," I curl my lip as I pace in front of her, "I guess so. I have no idea how to do it, but I definitely can't walk around looking like _this_." I gesture at my overdeveloped body.

"I have to say, it is kinda growing on me," my sister smirks, "You're actually handsome, in a bad boy way – I wonder how that happened."

I glower at my sister, as if challenging her to say something else about my usual, admittedly scrawny teenaged frame. She snorts with laugher at my irritated expression and I can't keep a small smile from creeping onto my face.

"Fine. I'll work on it," I say, "Maybe I can use the same principle as duplicating myself. I dunno, it'll have to be a trial and error thing." I wave my hand in the air, dismissively. Jazz nods.

"Maybe start small," she suggests, "try making your voice sound like it usually does." She looks up at me encouragingly and gives me a cheesy thumbs-up.

I smack my hand to my forehead and laugh softly.

"You're such a dweeb, you know that?" I say. She just pulls a face at me, this doesn't bother her. But I could tell that she still hated herself a little for what happened in our basement the day before and was still quite sad and confused inside. I don't even know what happened for sure, myself. I found the gloves, but beyond that I don't remember anything. The next memory I have is of waking up, full ghost, and seeing the used gloves on my sister's hands. It was definitely not an experience I would like to remember now at any rate.

I shake my head to clear these thoughts and focus on what my voice sounded like pre-Dan. Focussing a little of my excess energy, I direct its flow towards my vocal chords. I hum softly, to hear if anything changed. It hadn't. My voice is still as dark and rich as newly melted chocolate. I sigh, but I wasn't really expecting anything to happen.

"Try again," Jazz says comfortingly.

I look at her and nod. I concentrate more energy on my vocal chords, willing it to work in the way I want it to. My throat warms up slightly, and gets increasingly hotter. It feels good, almost familiar, within my now freezing cold frame.

"Jazz?" I say tentatively, "I think it's work -," I don't finish my sentence because on that last syllable, my voice jack-knifes to a ridiculous pitch.

My sister and I just stare at each other in astonishment, before bursting into shocked laughter at the same time. My guffaws echo those of a boy just hitting puberty before settling down into my own teenaged voice.

"Well, that was not embarrassing at all," I say sarcastically, but in my own voice at least. Man, was it good to sound like myself again. It was a bit weird though, I mean I'd grown to like my new voice. Ah well, at least now I know I can change between the two.

"It's good to hear you sounding like yourself again little brother," Jazz grins, "I had complete and utter faith in you the whole time." She gives me a conspiratorial wink.

"Sure you did," I roll my eyes but then I realise what I was just able to do, "Maybe I can actually extend this to my whole body!"

Jazz laughs with joy and springs up from the bed. She teeters a little and I zoom forward to catch her, but she recovers by herself. She must still be a little groggy from – whatever it was – that happened in the basement.

Jazz holds a hand to her head and blinks a few times at the carpet. Then she looks up and beams at me. I see the thought running through her mind and hold out my arms with a good natured sigh.

"Alright," I groan as she leaps into my arms for a big bear hug.

She shivers a little, and I shake my head.

"You asked for it!" I said, "Full ghost now, remember?"

"How could I forget," she says through chattering teeth.

I feel an odd heat spreading through my chest and I look downwards.

I wrench out of the hug in surprise, because what I do see, I'd never expected to see again.

The familiar white rings had formed at my chest, and had begun slowly moving along me. Jazz stares at them, her face looking as shocked as I felt.

I close my eyes again, revelling in the warmth that has now almost reached my head and toes respectively. After a while, it fades away and I am left feeling as cold as I had been before the transformation started.

"Did it work?" I clench my eyes tighter, afraid to open them.

Jazz makes a weird strangled sound and I squint one eye open to see her gaping like a fish. I realise that she's tilting her head downwards at me, and not craning her neck up like she had been only a few seconds ago.

I open both eyes fully now and look at my torso again.

My heart leaps as I realise that I now look like me. Normal me. Pre-ghost powers or Dan Phantom me. Just plain old, Danny Fenton.

Jazz puts her hand on top of my knee under the dinner table and forces me back down onto my seat. I hadn't even realised I'd been floating. She glares at me purposefully and then gestures across the table at mom and dad, who were in a heated conversation about their latest ghost-catching gadget.

I gulp. I still have full access to my full-ghost powers when I look human. The human, teenaged me is just an illusion, a nifty party trick. This thought depresses me slightly and Jazz, sensing my sadness, squeezes my knee reassuringly. I look at her, forcing a determined look onto my face, I have to get used to this. I have no choice.

 _I'm fine,_ my expression says, and she nods and goes back to picking at her food.

"Well, sweetie?" My mother asks, "What do you think?"

"Uh, sounds great mom!" I smile weakly, I have no idea what she was just talking about.

"Fantastic! Did you hear that Jack? Danny's going to test out the new Spector-Deflector!"

"That's my Danny-boy! Growing up to be a great ghost-hunter, just like his dad!" He wipes away an imaginary tear from his eye and bursts out into booming laughter. I feel my heart sink into my stomach and Jazz chokes on a piece of broccoli she'd just put into her mouth.

"Actually mom I think I might be coming down with something," I say with an unconvincing cough.

"Oh, Danny! Come over here, let me take your temperature," she says, her maternal instinct kicking in. I sigh and reluctantly stand up from the table, taking extra care in making sure that my feet actually touch the floor, before I walk over to where my mother seems to have pulled out a thermometer from thin air.

She shoves it into my mouth, simultaneously laying a gloved hand on my head.

"Why Danny!" She gasps, "You're freezing cold!" I can almost see her mental cogs whirring, her inventor's brain thinking of something that can help her sick son.

"Yeah, mom" I say sheepishly, "Maybe I'll just go to bed early, with an electric blanket?"

"I know son!" My father interjects, "Why don't you just go to bed early, and lie down with an electric blanket?"

Mom glowers at him, "Good idea Jack," she says in a voice dripping with sarcasm. Then she looks at me, her blue eyes filled with concern again, "Are you sure that's all you need, sweetie?" I nod and give her my best smile.

"I'll be fine, don't worry about me mom," I give her a kiss on the cheek at which she gives an involuntary shiver.

"Night dad, night Jazz," I say with a little wave before I head up the stairs.

As I reach about halfway I turn back and see my mom staring after me, one hand to the cheek I'd pecked. She sees me looking at her and turns away, but doesn't remove her hand from her face.

I won't be able to hide my secret from her much longer. I'll have to tell her the truth myself, before she finds out in another, much worse way.

I head to my room and lie down on, or rather float just above, my bed. I put my hands behind my head and change back into my true form. Maintaining the "me" illusion is actually tiring, this feels much better actually. Free.

"Danny, honey?" My mom's voice comes from the stairs. Ugh, I forgot to close the door. Forgetting myself, I quickly zip over to the entrance to my bedroom and am about to slam the door closed, when I come face-to-face with Maddie Fenton.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

I stare in horror at the ghost standing in the doorway to my son's room. But then I remember myself and I scowl dangerously at him.

"Where is my son?" I hiss at him. There's no need to draw any attention to the situation, as long as I can get this thing to leave quietly. Poor Jack means well, but he can be a bit dense sometimes, okay most of the time. But that's only one of the reasons I love him. This ghost doesn't look like any of the ones we've come across though, he looks somehow more dangerous, his large muscles tense from the immense power so obviously rippling through them. No, I can't risk Jack letting this one get away, and I certainly don't want Jazz getting involved either. She has never wanted anything to do with ghosts, until recently. She's more of a ghost sympathiser than a hunter though. She'd probably want to sit down with the ghost and talk through an emotional, traumatic backstory. I look at those evil, red eyes and mentally scoff at the idea. As if any ghost, least of all _this_ one, could ever be capable of _feeling_.

"I will ask you only one more time," I grit my teeth, "Where. Is. My. Son."

The ghost backs away into the room, holding its hands out in surrender. Good, it better be afraid. I follow it into my son's bedroom, whom I can see no sign of, and close the door quietly behind me. I eye the ghost warily. It is like nothing I've ever seen before with glowing, sinister, red eyes, large, dangerous-looking fangs, muscles that ripple with ectoplasmic power, and a mane of brilliant white flames. Yet, something about it is oddly familiar.

It still hasn't said anything, though.

"You'd better answer me if you know what's good for you," I warn it. I'm too considerate sometimes.

"I do not want to hurt you," he says ominously, with a rich, deep voice.

"Oh, but I definitely want to hurt you," I reply with a growl.

"Tell me where my son is!" The ghost pulls one of its strong hands down its face, as if it is almost irritated with me. The nerve. No more Mrs nice Fenton, I think as I pull out the new Spector-Deflector from behind my back. His seafoam-coloured face pales when he sees it. I grin wickedly at his expression. So he knows what this is. I have no idea how I would get it on him, but he doesn't need to know that.

"Listen, Mo – uh – human," he winces, "I don't know how to tell you this but-,"

"What have you done with my boy?!" I shout, forgetting that I'm supposed to be being subtle. In response, light footsteps come scurrying up the stairs and I involuntarily look towards the sound. The ghost takes his chance and before I know it, the Spector-Deflector is knocked out of my hand and my wrist is grasped in a firm grip. I try to struggle out of it, but the ghost is too strong. I look at him defiantly, but my expression falters when I see the deep sadness written on his own face.

"What -?" Is all I say before I gasp at the iciness of his large hand. It's exactly the same feeling I had just minutes ago when Danny…

Wait. Danny?

Realisation dawning on me, I look up desperately at the ghost's face again, this time really paying attention to his features. His face is framed by a strong, defined jawline that still holds some of the roundness of my teenaged son's. His red eyes too, which I'd previously thought looked evil, contain the same softness and concern that I've seen in my baby's ones so often. I shut my own eyes tightly and try to swallow the large lump that has suddenly formed in my throat. As if sensing that I would no longer put up a fight, the ghost releases his grip on my wrist. He steps backwards and flops onto my son's bed, putting his face in his hands. I stare at him, no longer afraid or defiant, or even suspicious.

It couldn't be, could it?

All of the gadgets going off whenever he was around, the Booomerang homing in on his signature, the sudden disappearances. I fall to my knees as the truth hits me like a truck. Why wouldn't he tell us? Didn't he trust us? My heart breaks at the thought.

" _Let's catch the ghost Mads!"_

" _No, Jack let's dissect the ghost!"_

" _Let's rip it apart molecule by molecule!"_

I feel my cheeks flame in shame and guilt. How _could_ he trust us? We never gave him reason to. I swallow again, if the lump gets any bigger I won't be able to breathe soon.

"D – Danny?" I call out softly. The ghost on the bed looks up instinctively, as if he'd been responding to that name for his whole life. I hear a choked sob escape my throat, but I feel numb. The ghost looks taken aback either at his exposing himself so easily, or at the fact that I actually called him Danny.

"What happened to you?" I barely whisper, and that deep sadness enters his face again. I try to get up, but my knees are still weak and I almost fall to the floor again. I look up into my son's red eyes as he catches me in his strong arms, and carries me to his bed. He lays me on it as if I'm as fragile as a porcelain doll, and would break any second.

I reach out to him and the surprise that flickers across his face inexplicably hurts my feelings. Tentatively, he leans forward and I cup his cold cheeks in my warm hands. I draw him closer to me and hold him against my chest. It is rather awkward, but I hug him tightly nonetheless. I hesitate before I put my hand on his fiery head. I'm surprised to see that I can withdraw my hand unscathed. With this revelation, I run my hand through his white, flaming hair and stroke his face like I've done countless times before when my baby woke up from a particularly scary nightmare. I would comfort him with ghost-hunting stories and he would go to sleep with a smile on his sweet, little face, secure in the knowledge that his mommy would keep him safe from all the nasty ghosts that haunted his dreams.

And look at what a great job you've done, Maddie.

After a while, Danny gently pulls his head out of my protective grasp and just looks at me, with tears shining in his ruby eyes.

I touch his cheek again, and he nuzzles into my hand.

"You'll always be my baby boy," I say.

And I mean it.

I don't know how long I sit here with Danny's face to my hand. He looks so content, so peaceful. I just about think that he's fallen asleep and I sigh sadly, but contentedly too. It doesn't matter that my son is a ghost. He is still, and always will be, my son. It's a bit strange, though I have to admit. But then, in what world wouldn't it be.

I hear Jazz's light footsteps on the floor outside Danny's bedroom and I tense up when I see the doorknob turn.

"Danny?" her gentle voice calls out, "Are you awake?"

I am unable to move as I wait for the inevitable. I look across at Danny, but his eyes are still closed, totally oblivious to the drama that will no doubt ensue.

I turn my head to face Jazz's entry and as her head rounds the corner of the door, her eyes widen. After about one second, we both scream the same thing:

"Don't do anything! That's DANNY!"

The ghost to whom we had referred to jumps sky high, and remains floating near the ceiling, looking confusedly back and forth between Jazz and I, as if he were watching an invisible tennis match.

"Wait mom, what did you just say?" My daughter demands incredulously.

I look sheepishly at my hands, realising that, based on her reaction, Jazz had known her brother's secret for a while.

Before I can say anything, Danny speaks up, "She figured it out, Jazz." His voice. It's so mature, so adult, so – dark.

"She did?" Jazz looks at me wide-eyed. I simply nod.

"And you've known for a while, young lady," It was a statement of fact at which it is my daughter's turn to nod guiltily.

I look at my ghostly son, who looks back at me and grins his signature grin. That is unmistakeably my Danny. Well with a few added extras, I think, eyeing the fangs, warily. He alights gracefully on the floor and draws both me and his sister into a crushing, bear hug.

"Man, I love you guys," he says, his deep voice thick with emotion.

"We – love you too, little bro," Jazz wheezes out.

"Ditto," I manage to squeak out. Sensing our rapidly decreasing lung capacity, he releases us and lets out a booming laugh. I stare at my son and glance quickly at my daughter. She just shrugs and joins in the mirth. I smile weakly, but happily, before a thought crosses my mind.

"Jazz, where's your father?"

"Oh, he's passed out on the couch. Nothing will interrupt his snoring session," she grins mischievously at me. Danny looks down at her and nods his head brightly. Then he rubs the back of his neck and a serious look crosses his face.

"But, just in case," he starts and to my surprise, glowing white rings appear at his waist. I gasp involuntarily as they move along the length of my son and slowly begin to reveal him as his teenaged, not to mention human, self. When they disappear, I am left looking down at my totally normal-looking son. He grins sheepishly and says in his normal voice, "Yeah that's going to take some getting used to. Sorry, mom" he shrugs his shoulders while I just gape at him, my knees weakening.

I close my mouth to swallow. Danny grins at me, his blue eyes glinting impishly.

I frown at him, "You and I have a _lot_ to talk about, young man."

Finally, something nearing normality.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Later that night, I lie back on my bed for the second time, but now with a contented smile on my face. My mother, the ghost-hunter, is fine with her son being a ghost. Not a human with ghost-powers, not a halfa, but a _full ghost_.

I climb under the covers, still in my human state, and hold my pillow to my chest happily. I'd told her the whole story tonight, from the moment I stepped into the ghost-portal, to my encounter with Dan. There were tears, from my mom, Jazz and I'm not ashamed to admit, even myself.

But they were mostly from my mother who held herself accountable for everything that happened to me. Especially the whole "me turning into the evil me from the future" thing. Yeah, that would do it.

I hug my pillow tighter and burrow my head into it. I don't really need to sleep anymore but, man oh man, there's no way I'm giving up on that just because I'm a full ghost now. I am still technically a teenager, we're supposed to lazy, right?

Just as I'm about to drift off, I'm startled awake by two bright red tendrils of smoke curling from my nostrils. I rub my tingly nose in confusion, that's definitely new. Then I hear a theatrical moan coming from outside my window.

"BEWAAARE!" So, the red smoke is an upgraded version of my ghost sense.

I smirk as I think about the ghostly stress reliever waiting just outside for me. This is going to be fun.

I phase out through my wall, my human mirage still in place. I'm surprised at how easily I'm adapting to using it. It's not taking up as much energy as it first had to maintain it. Maybe being Dan Phantom is actually better than being plain, little ole' me. The Box Ghost, obviously, does not notice the fact that I'm still supposedly in my human form. If he did, he'd probably just think that I'd dyed my hair black. I chuckle at the thought.

"I am the Box Ghost, here to turn all of your shoe boxes against you! Beware!" I roll my eyes. It's almost cute how scary he thinks he is, if by cute you think of the most annoying creature you've ever come across and multiply it by one hundred then yeah, cute it is.

But man is he gonna get the fright of his life.

"Bewa – oh," he stops mid-moan, "Uh… how are you doing that halfa?" he asks me, about my being able to float. Wow, he's not as much of an idiot as I thought he was.

"Oh this? Just a few minor upgrades," I shrug it off.

He gulps, "Up – Upgrades?"

I chortle softly, shaking my head and allowing my voice to drop to its real level.

"That's right," I say slowly, "Upgrades."

With that, I summon the rings again and hold out my arms as if I were on the Titanic, the King of the World. Well, that's pretty accurate. I force the transformation to go slowly, allowing poor Boxy to drink in my new self in all of my terrifying glory. As I stare down at him with my blood red eyes, I grin menacingly, baring my fangs.

The ghost doesn't move, he floats in one spot, quivering slightly.

I lean over until my face is almost touching his.

"Boo."

And away he flees, screaming "Beware" at the top of his lungs into our basement, and presumably back through the Fenton portal to spread the word about the new and improved Danny Phantom.

 _They'll never know what hit them_ , I think to myself, as my red eyes darken slightly and my sneer widens, fangs glinting dangerously in the moonlight.

"Danny?" I hear my sister call out softly, with a giggle in her voice. I open my eyes sleepily and reach out for my alarm clock, intending to check the time. You can imagine my own alarm when I couldn't feel it, or the desk below it or, for that matter, the pillow that was supposed to be underneath my head. Actually, my whole _bed_ seemed to have disappeared into thin air.

Wide awake now, my limbs flail frantically in the air trying to reach something, anything solid to grab hold of. My clenched fist crashes into a hard surface just above my head, smashing a hole straight through it and I gape up at the newly created cavity in awe. I can see tons of old boxes through it, collecting dust. A label on one of them catches my eye, it reads: _Danny's Astronaut Suit._

I hadn't seen that suit since shortly after my parents bought it for me. I was seven years old, and we'd gotten it from a Cape Canaveral gift store.

When I don't see stuff around anymore, that generally means that they've found a new home in the attic.

The thought only just now occurring to me after this revelation, I look down and see my room spread out before me, Jazz staring up at me with an expression that was an interesting amalgamation of amusement and that typical older sister 'I'm-gonna-tell-mom-that-you-just-punched-a-hole-in-the-ceiling' look. 'cause _that_ one is typical in most families, yeah right.

I rub my neck guiltily as I descend slowly to the floor, my eyes focussed on the plaster covered carpet of my bedroom.

Feeling Jazz' heated gaze on me, I look up at her and give her a sheepish, if slightly lopsided, grin. To my surprise, her lips twitch slightly before she bursts out laughing, letting out an unattractive snort here and there too.

"Oh, Danny - you looked _so funny!_ " she barely manages to get out amidst the tears of mirth rolling down her cheeks. She waves her arms around in an attempt to show me just how ridiculous my muscled figure looked with its limbs flailing around wildly in panic. She almost hits me in the face with one of her out-of-control appendages, but I tilt my head slightly so that it just misses me.

I scowl at her, feeling embarrassed. If I could blush, my cheeks would be almost as red as my eyes right now. I cross my arms over my barrel chest, waiting for her to calm down.

She eventually wipes the last tear from her eye in an exaggerated, cartoon-like gesture and takes a deep breath to regain her composure.

I raise an eyebrow, "You done?"

She nods brightly and beams at me, "Who needs comedy when you're around, little brother?"

I huff as she spins on her heel and marches out my bedroom door.

"Oh, I came in here to tell you that you're late for school," she adds casually from the hallway.

I drag a hand across my face. Of course I am.

I zoom through the fresh, morning air in the direction of Casper High, flying low so that I can take in the scenery from eye level for a change, rather than the usual aerial view. Besides, no one would think anything of Danny Phantom flying through the town he protected.

I pass a crowd of my own classmates on their way to school on the sidewalk and wave at them brightly. Instead of the cheering and frantic waving back that I was used to though, they all just stare at me.

That's weird. They were all infatuated with me. Honestly, sometimes I thought it was worse than the whole vampires and werewolves' thing. So why weren't they going crazy for Danny Phantom right now?

I touch down in front of them, and try a friendly smile. To my utter astonishment, the girls, and some of the guys, shrink away and hide behind their tougher counterparts. The latter puff out their chests, in a weak attempt to make themselves look like forces to be reckoned with.

I sigh wearily, and impart some Danny Phantom ghost-fighting pearls of wisdom, "Do you really think that _that_ will help you in a ghost attack?"

I cringe and almost slap myself for my stupidity as I hear my voice. My totally _not_ Danny Phantom voice, which matches my obviously totally _not_ Danny Phantom body. The whole crowd backs away from me slowly now, understandably taking my helpful advice as a threat. I decide to spare them any more fear and take off, mentally kicking myself over and over again.

How could I actually manage to _forget_ such an important detail?

I become aware of a swishing sound and turn my head to see my cape flapping in the wind. How did I not notice that _before_ I sent the whole of my high school class, and no doubt soon the whole town, into panic?


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hi there everyone! Thank you for taking the time out to read my first ever DP fanfic, not to mention my first fanfic ever…!** **I'm so excited to get to share this one with all you guys and I really hope you enjoy it! I know this little intro of mine is at the beginning of Chapter 12 but hey, beginner remember? Anyways…any and all constructive criticism is appreciated!**

 **PS: All artwork I use is done by me and, although I don't have a deviantart account (yet) I DO have a YouTube Channel (also called Get Keen) where I post SpeedDraws of all my artwork done, animations and a little bit of gaming. So please feel free to check it out if you wanna!**

 **Now, a few words from our sponsor…**

" **Ugh. Do I really have to do this? It's so cheesy…"**

 **Quit your whining, Dan. Someone has to say it – hey, don't you bare your fangs at me!**

" **Fine…Chelsea wishes she owns me, but unfortunately she doesn't. If she did, I** _ **know**_ **that we'd be no doubt be dating by now."**

 **Uhm – wha – what?! Where did you get** _ **that**_ **idea?**

" **Would I lie to** _ **you**_ **?"**

 **Okay, then! Moving swiftly forward! Here's the next chapter (insert**

 **facepalm):**

 **Chapter 12**

Danny

I duck down behind a large, conveniently placed bush near the school and I actually remember this time to turn back into Danny Fenton. I'd been mentally facepalming ever since I left the terrified teenagers behind, but at least I know I'll never make _that_ mistake again. Ever.

I try to look as casual as I can for someone clambering out of shrubbery and, noticing my lack of audience, I breathe a sigh of relief and continue on the last leg of the journey to Casper High. The final bell rings just as I enter first period and my teacher gives me a surprised glance.

"Are we actually _on time_ today, Mister Fenton?" she could have at least tried to hide her sarcasm. I nod sheepishly and silently make my way to my desk at the back of the classroom. As I sit down, Sam and Tucker turn around and give me a thumbs up each. I snort at this clichéd gesture and return it with a toothy grin. As they turn back to the front of the classroom I realise with a start that this was technically the first time I'd seen them since coming back from the past. They have got a _lot_ to catch up on.

I smirk to myself as I imagine their reactions when I show them the 'new me'. They've stuck with me through thick and thin, and Jazz, mom and I all came to the decision that they have to know that the _Dan_ in town has not in fact come to destroy it, but to protect it.

What we didn't agree on, though, was exactly _how_ I was going to tell them. They'd left that one up to me, and now my prankster mind was dreaming up an elaborate plan to scare my best friends witless, but not so much that they don't believe that I'm me. Huh. That's going to be tricky.

But hey, they've been my best friends since forever. What could go wrong?

 _Dan_

 _Famous last words._

 _Little did I know, it was this decision that would seal my fate._

 _Later, Clockwork told me that I would eventually return to my natural state of mind, but until then I had to live out the path I'd set for myself the moment I'd made the deal with future Dan._

 _I was so cocky as to think that I'd managed to find a loophole in fate's fabric, but you can't cheat your own destiny, whether you're a self-fulfilling prophecy or not._

 _What was that?_

 _Hah! You thought I'd tell you what happened with Sam and Tucker and I, on a whim? Oh, no. There's no fun in_ that _. Where's your sense of suspense, tension, drama? Come on. I guarantee it's a story you'll enjoy, I mean I certainly enjoy telling it._

 _After all, it was then that I became_ me. _I realised I was more like Dan than I'd wanted to admit. And, it was the moment that I decided everyone would be better off if I were to just resign myself to my fate and become him for real this time. Through and through._

 _At least then, nobody would get hurt._

Danny

"What do you wanna show us, dude?" Tucker grins expectantly through a mouthful of his ham sandwich, unconsciously spilling crumbs all over Sam's boots. She growls at him and dusts them off angrily, but he only shrugs.

Sam sighs before she says, "And why are we behind the bandstands on _the other side of the football field?_ " with a raised eyebrow.

I rub the back of my neck and grin sheepishly, not able to think up a believable answer. But, I guess that's my cue then.

"Okay guys," I begin with a quiver in my voice. Why am I so nervous? These are my _best friends._

"So quite a lot has happened over the – weekend," I was about to say over the last year, but then remembered that it's only been _two days_ since the incident with Dan. I gulp at this realisation and Sam looks at me questioningly.

"Um, I guess you can say my ghost powers have – uh – developed?" I manage to squeak out.

"Woah, you got a new power dude?!" Tucker yelps, "That's _awesome!_ "

"Uh not quite," I relax slightly at his reaction. Maybe this wasn't going to be so difficult after all. I almost laugh at his puzzled expression.

"Then what is it, bro?"

"How 'bout I just _show_ you," I wink at him, before I allow myself to start floating off the ground. This time I do laugh out loud, Tucker's jaw is practically touching the floor and Sam is mimicking his expression with a little more elegance.

"But you're not _Phantom_ , you're -," he can't get the rest of the words out.

I turn intangible, flit through the bandstands and dive into the ground before popping out just in front of my friends. Tucker squeals and leaps into Sam's arms, who rolls her eyes sarcastically and drops him onto the floor.

I've come out of the ground now and am clutching my sides in mid-air, my eyes tearing up with laughter.

Then I hear a screech and I whip my head around, eyes flashing a bright red. My ghost sense hadn't even gone off. But too late I see that the screech wasn't that of the terrified victim of a ghost's rampage, but rather the high-pitched battle cry of one, Valerie Gray.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Danny

I feel the heat in my eyes intensify unwillingly as my full-ghost receptors receive this approach as a threat. Which it undoubtedly is, knowing Valerie. But I don't want to fight her, and I don't have a _clue_ why she would want to fight me. I mean, I still looked like goofy Danny Fenton, not _Phantom_.

I facepalm as I realise that although I looked like the human me, I was still technically _floating three feet off of the ground_.

"Don't worry Danny, I'll get that Phantom out of you!" the amount of venom with which she spat out the word 'Phantom' makes me cringe and I turn myself intangible as she gets closer. She zooms right through me and just manages to stop herself before she can crash into a well-placed tree just behind my translucent figure. I'm impressed. She's gotten better with that hover-board thing of hers, which ultimately doesn't bode well for me.

"You get out of him, Phantom!" she hisses through clenched teeth as she charges up her wrist-ray. I tense up as I prepare an ectoplasmic blast myself. At the last moment though, a flicker of something I can't read crosses her eyes and, to my utter astonishment, she lowers her hand.

I hold up my own hands in surrender, not wanting to provoke her, although it's unfortunate that I can't do anything about my fiery gaze at the moment.

She looks thoughtfully from me, to Sam and Tucker, then back to me again and I can almost see the well-oiled cogs turning in her intelligent mind.

"Why are these two here?" she asks me, her voice menacingly soft. I open my mouth to answer her, but she doesn't give my words a chance to leave my lips.

"Some of your ghost pals must have overshadowed them too," she sneers at the expression of horror on my face at her train of thought, "Or maybe, this isn't Tucker or Sam _at all."_

Too late I see her aim her wrist at my friends and I try to dive in front of them, forgetting that I'm still intangible. The hot pink ray glides through me and plants itself straight into Tucker's chest, sending him flying into the bandstand directly behind him. He flops to the ground, and I hope with all my heart that he is only unconscious. Sam rushes to his side, freeing me up to deal with the girl who _dared_ to mess with my friends.

"You can pummel me, blast me, thrash me to within an inch of my after-life," my voice shakes with the anger that warms up my body.

"But you will _never,_ " I whisper threateningly, "I repeat NEVER, touch my friends again."

The Red Huntress' bravado falls from her face as she looks at Tucker, who is still not moving, doubtfully. Realisation pales her chocolate skin.

"B-But," she stammers in confusion and horror, "If he isn't a ghost, th-then why did you try to protect him?"

That was a good question. The fire rapidly spreads throughout my body as I consider this. Everyone I try to protect, spent the last year protecting, always ends up either in danger again, or seriously hurt in some way or another. I feel my expression darken as this truth crosses my mind. Why should I try to protect them when they end up worse off than if I simply hadn't tried?

My friends would be better off if I'd never defended them in the first place. Maybe then, it would be me crumpled lifelessly beneath the bandstands on Casper High's football field, and _not_ Tucker.

I guess I have always been the monster I thought I'd promised I'd never become. Everyone, myself included, just hadn't realised it.

The heat had been steadily growing and every pore feels as if it is on fire now. Valerie looks up at me in terror, as if she can feel the energy waves radiating off of my body. I glower at her. If I couldn't protect my friends, I would avenge them instead.

I will **not** fail at that.

Valerie

I watch the boy I have always known as Danny Fenton as his expression, which had been one of poignant, heart-breaking sadness, slowly morphs into such intense hatred that it chills me to my bones.

The goofy yet cute, lopsided grin that my knees had come to grow weak at was nowhere in sight. I glance at Tucker's body again and breathe a sigh of relief as his head moves slightly, turning in Sam's arms that have been thrown protectively over him.

I try to gesture at the delusional ghost that has taken over Danny's body, no doubt that _Phantom_ kid, who for some reason considers Sam and Tucker his friends. He doesn't seem to have noticed though, and it looks as if he's staring right through me, his steaming red eyes hard.

He doesn't even turn to Sam when she yells to him that Tucker appears to be alright, "Danny! He's okay! Let's just leave!"

Then it hits me, and I cannot believe I had never seen it before. I mean, the guy hadn't even _tried_ to hide the similarities. Danny Fenton. Danny _Phantom._

I gasp at the icy reality that I'd been hunting the person I would consider to be one of my best friends, never mind my ex- _boyfriend_ , all along.

"D-Danny?" I try to get out. I know I must be disgusted with myself somewhere in my subconscious as I crumple to the floor, tears streaming down my face. But I am more disgusted at the fact that I have been fighting, and have very nearly _captured_ the boy I knew I loved.

"I am _so_ sorry," I sob and hear Sam gasp as she realises that I've figured out the truth, which she's obviously known all along. Tucker only groans and yet, I do not hear one sound from the ghost boy who I assume is still floating above me.

I attempt to dry my face and keep what shreds of my dignity I still have intact as I look up at him.

My heart sinks as I see the cold, insincere smile on his face and I sputter at this surprising sight, forgetting all about my pride in my incredulity. I have _never_ seen Danny look so menacing. Heck, menacing isn't even a word in his dictionary, along with sinister, terrifying and ominous. And yet, right now _all_ of those words, and many more like them, could easily cover the expression on his face.

His voice when he speaks sends shivers down my spine. It is deep, and husky and definitely not the voice of a teenaged boy. But, that is not what sets off the warning bells in my brain, or what raises the hairs on the back of my neck, or even what sends the icy fingers through my body to chill my core, but rather the tone of his voice. Dangerous and positively _dripping_ with sarcasm.

"Yes, it's me. Hello, Valerie," he says in a mock friendly greeting. His face contorts into an expression that I suppose I would probably find sexy if it weren't for the hatred in his eyes as he lifts his arm towards me. To my horror, I see the faint green glow in the palm of his hand as he charges up an energy blast, "And goodbye."


	14. Chapter 14

**Howzit guys!**

 **I am so so glad that everyone has been enjoying the story! It means so much to me that it's gotten this much attention, seeing as it is only my first. But because of this, you can be sure to be reading a lot more fanfics by me in the time to come!**

 **I just have an extremely important notice for you guys! I have made a fanfic trailer including fanart by myself on my YouTube channel! So if you wanna, please go check it out! I think it's pretty appropriate. But please comment what you guys think about it, you know I love hearing from you all! The channel name is also Get Keen and it has the same picture as my author profile picture thing** **.**

 **So, without further ado, let's get on with the story!**

" **What, you aren't gonna give me anything to say this time?!"**

 **Ugh. You didn't** _ **want**_ **to say anything last time, Dan. Remember?**

" **Oh yeah…" (insert sheepish, fanged grin)**

 **Chapter 14**

Danny/Dan

Just before I can set fire to the miserable ghost-hunter on the ground before me, an indignant yell rings out across the field. It comes from Sam, and I scowl at the interruption.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, DANNY?!" she shouts at me, Tucker totally forgotten. I still hadn't seen him move. Anyone with half a brain knows what _that_ means. I shake my head in exasperation, and turn towards her slightly, so that I can keep both her and Valerie in my field of vision. Wouldn't want her getting away now, would we.

Sam still has her mouth open, as if she wants to say something else. But, when she sees my pulsating scarlet eyes, her lips come together abruptly and she gulps. I smirk at her expression. It is so unlike Sam to be afraid, and yet here we are. Wordlessly, I summon up the rings and as they run the length of my small frame, both Sam and Valerie's jaws almost hit the floor.

Valerie

Just when I had come to terms with the fact that Danny and Phantom are the same person, he has to go and do this to me. Sam's expression tells me that this is new for her too.

Well, to make a long story short, it appears that Danny Phantom has finally hit puberty. It's the only way I can appropriately describe the transformations that have taken place in the ghost boy's appearance. As the blue-white discs that seem to have been pulled out of thin air move up and down over Danny's teenaged body, the wind gets knocked out of me in one fell swoop at the sight that greets my eyes.

Phantom's once tanned skin has paled and taken on a distinctly azure glow, his scruffy white hair has grown into a mane of raging fire that lights up the air around him and his _body_ – well, it would probably have made me drool. His defined muscles ripple underneath the jumpsuit that now has the addition of a white cape, fluttering in a wind apparently only applying to him. His soft, round face has hardened and his strong jaw is chiselled and accentuated by the faint shadow of white facial hair lining his chin. His intense red eyes take in Sam's and my own gaping mouths and I feel a stab of coldness in my chest as he narrows his them and grins, displaying a set of gleaming, white fangs.

With his deep voice, smooth as silk, he chuckles, "Close your mouths please, ladies. That expression is dreadfully unflattering."

"Danny," Sam whimpers in response. She sounds like she's about to burst into tears and I make a move towards her.

Danny, noticing my momentary distraction, lets loose with the blast he'd been preparing. I don't expect it and am enveloped in burning green ectoplasm before I feel my body hit the trunk of the tree I'd narrowly missed a few moments earlier. I hadn't even been aware that the beam had lifted me into the air.

I flop down to the ground, the world spinning around me as darkness tickles the edges of my vision. As my sight slowly fades to black, the last thing I hear before slipping into unconsciousness is Danny's low, sinister chuckle, echoing throughout the abyss and haunting my dreamless state.

Danny/Dan

I revel in the power that courses through my veins as I watch Valerie's eyes grow unfocussed and flutter closed. I watch for the slight rise and fall of her chest and shrug noncommittally when I see that it is still there.

Ah, well. She's alive, which means I can have some fun later. I grin at this thought feeling, for the first time since I'd opened that thermos in Clockwork's tower, utterly free. If this pathetic, little town wanted to continually get itself in trouble, it could be my guest. Danny Phantom was not going to protect it anymore.

I whip my head around at a sudden sniffle. I'd forgotten Sam was still there. I float lower and alight on the ground next to her and the still unmoving Tucker. She visibly shrinks away from me, and sobs into Tucker's shirt. I roll my eyes and change back into my human self.

This time I put my hand on her shoulder and she turns around slowly, and gasps when she sees I'm 'myself' again.

"What _happened_ to you?" she asks, and odd amalgamation of fear and concern in her voice.

I grin and say in my deep voice, "I grew up." She shudders at this statement and looks pointedly at Valerie.

"She is still alive, right?" she squeaks and pales even further underneath the Goth makeup at the chuckle I give as a response.

"Of course she is. What did you expect, Sammy?" she scowls at this, forgetting to be afraid. I don't see why she's so concerned with the ghost-hunter, with Tucker's so obviously lifeless body at her feet.

"Amity Park is on its own," I whisper, and the fearful look finds its way back to her face again.

"Well, perhaps not quite," I think out loud as an interesting train of thought begins its journey through my mind, "There could still be something of benefit for me here." She looks puzzled, not following me.

"Territory," I say with a soft growl, "now _that's_ a good word. The whole of the human realm. _My territory._ Yes, it definitely has a nice ring to it." I wink at Sam mockingly before changing into my proper form again. I stretch my arms and flex my muscles unnecessarily.

"Well Sam, it's been nice talking to you, but I've got to run. You know me, busy busy busy!" I emphasise my words by running my hand through my flaming hair. I get ready to take off into the air, when a spur-of-the-moment idea comes to me.

"Oh, and if I see Tucker's ghost in the Ghost Zone – along with telling him that his death is what flicked the _Dan_ switch **on** in me – I'll be sure to let him know you said hi," I laugh maniacally, not staying to hear her answer.

If I hadn't been so hasty in zooming off, or if I hadn't been so drunk on power to even leave in the first place, I would have heard Sam's sad, barely audible words that could have very well turned my mind right around.

"But, Tucker's not dead."


End file.
